The Jeer's On Me

Tag: Howard Beale

Two Americas. Two Consensus Realities. We are witnessing a breakdown in what we define as “Glenn Beck” Nowhere more clearly can this be seen in articles from the NY Times regarding Beck’s departure: The article in the business section toes the “declining ratings” line gives us a fuller story to , whereas mediadecoder’ blog shares this consciously ignored by all other outlets, morsel of FOX’s vertical integration with Beck, but BOTH share this:

Fox News and Mercury Radio Arts, which have clashed over the making of the program, will “work together to develop and produce a variety of television projects for air on the Fox News Channel as well as content for other platforms including Fox News’ digital properties,” the companies said in the statement.As expected, a senior Fox News executive, Joel Cheatwood, will join Mr. Beck at Mercury Radio Arts starting later this month.

Notably, descriptions of Mr. Beck’s future plans drew derisive comments in some quarters of Fox News, where they argued that Mr. Beck needed the huge platform of his Fox show to build his media empire.At times, Mr. Beck and his managers said they sensed that Fox was retaliating in public, although they did not prove it.

Last month, when Mr. Cheatwood was first said to be moving over to Mercury, his Fox salary was suddenly leaked to a reporter. That day, a staff member who had been working with Fox on Mr. Beck’s show was asked if he could imagine working at an institution that would leak a salary figure. The staff member replied, “Not only can I imagine it, we’ve done it for 27 months,” referring to the precise number of months Mr. Beck had been at Fox. “It’s not fun.”

Let me repeat and emphasize that last sentence: As expected, a senior Fox News executive, Joel Cheatwood, will join Mr. Beck at Mercury Radio Arts starting later this month.

So, while my fellow Progressives pat themselves over this “victory” they cannot see the massive head fake in the story, and claim FOX is “well rid of Cheatwood” (he had the temerity to talk to Beck without Royal Leave to do so), I call shennanigans and bullshit. As an actor, I have to analyze a script, to get “into the head” of the character and circumstances. I apply the same standard to entertainment news – if there is more than one article on the same subject, I’ll look at all of them as things are always “left out”. like the statement above. As far as I know, THAT is the ONLY reference to FOX involvment with Beck’s production company. Roger Ailes is quite happy that we think that Beck was fired or quit:

Beck said that he went to Roger Ailes, Fox News chairman and CEO, in January to discuss ways they could continue to work together without the daily show.

“Half of the headlines say he’s been canceled,” Ailes said. “The other half say he quit. We’re pretty happy with both of them.”
…
Ailes emphasized that Fox and Beck will continue to work together.

“We like each other,” he said in a dual interview with Beck. “We’re not drawing pictures of each other on the walls, having staff fights and stealing each other’s food out of the refrigerator or any of that stuff.”

Beck sees himself as “Howard Beale” are we seeing the beginning of Beck’s desired end?

The proof is in the pudding with my claim that the Vertical Integration between Beck and FOX is being studiously ignored:

UPDATE: AS I SAID, I CALL SHENNANIGANS, and I am correct: From a “press release” over at glennbeck.com regarding Joel Cheatwood’s “defection” from FOX:

Joel Cheatwood, SVP/Development at FOX News, will be joining Mercury Radio Arts effective April 24, 2011. Part of his role as EVP will be to manage the partnership and serve as a liaison with FOX News.

Ailes said, “Joel is a good friend and one of the most talented and creative executives in the business. Over the past four years I have consistently valued his input and advice and that will not stop as we work with him in his new role.”

Howard Beale (Peter Finch), the longtime anchor of the UBS Evening News, learns he has just two more weeks on the air because of declining ratings. Weary from misfortunes and sorrowful, he is treated to a night of drinking with his boss and friend, Max Schumacher (William Holden), followed by mention of his desire to kill himself. The following night, he actually announces on live television that he will commit suicide by shooting himself in the head during next Tuesday’s broadcast.